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Friday, January 20, 2012

Two Ethiopian sisters were among the 43 passengers killed in a fiery bus crash in Ethiopia

Sisters Seble and Maz Getachew were killed in a bus crash in Ethiopia on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Two Perth sisters were among the 43 passengers killed in a
fiery bus crash in Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Seble and Maza Getachew had lived in Perth for a number of
years and studied at Curtin University as international students before
recently relocating to Melbourne.

The pair, who were not Australian citizens, was believed to
have travelled over with a 32-year-old Melbourne man, who was returning to his
native country to take part in religious celebrations, according to his
neighbours.

The Getachew sisters, aged in their 20s, were originally
from the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa but it is not yet known whether they were
related to the Melbourne man, who was a permanent resident in Australia.

It is understood that they were with their mother and
brother aboard the bus, which plunged about 80 metres into a gorge north of the
capital Addis Ababa. The family is not believed to have survived.

Only three people out of the 46 passengers survived. A man
from Tarneit in Melbourne's west was initially pulled alive from the wreckage
but died shortly afterwards.

The Australian man, believed to have two young children, pleaded
with his rescuers to "please call my brother" in the final moments
before he died, according to the Ethiopian newspaper The Reporter.

Neighbours in Tarneit said the man's wife flew to Ethiopia
following her husband's death.

They said the man had travelled to Ethiopia shortly after
Christmas to celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the
Epiphany, or the baptism of Jesus.

The festival, held on January 19, is known for its ritual
re-enactment of baptism.

The Melbourne man was believed to be travelling from Addis
Ababa to Gondar, about 750 kilometres north of the capital, when the crash
occurred about 280 kilometres into the journey.

The domestic bus, operated by Sky Bus Transport, ran off the
road and plunged at least 80 metres into the gorge and burst into flames, local
media reported, although one news outlet said the gorge was about 120 metres
deep.

The bus was less than three years old and was in good
condition, The Reporter said. Of the 46 passengers on board, 43 died.